Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

How much difference can a good coach really make? It’s the players, right?

Steve Aschburner: The advanced-stats crews can probably decipher that a coach is worth somewhere between 3.6 and 11.2 victories per season, depending on their weighting of factors such as Xs & Os, offensive/defensive ratio, interpersonal skills and wardrobe. I think it’s more intangible, yet huge. A coach sets a team’s tone, and more important, establishes its edge and demeanor on and off the court. It’s like my old pal Al McGuire used to say, “A team reflects its coach’s personality — my team is obnoxious.” I believe that certain coaches are builders, others are closers, and you’d better have them matched up correctly with the right rosters. Yes, it is a players’ league. Yes, some coaches are accidental winners thanks to the talent around them. But fitting the right coach to the roster, to management and to the market is vital. Relatively rare, too.
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grizzly_bexar

11-14-12 10:24 PM

How many victories is a coach worth over the course of 15 years?

Rzarector7

11-14-12 10:28 PM

In the playoffs when adjustments are made you are damn right they matter lol.

Jose_TheGenius

11-15-12 12:32 PM

does a coach really matter?

i'll answer a question with a question: if you put Mike Brown on the 2000 Lakers, would they win with the Princeton offense instead of feeding it down low to a dominant Shaq?